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Bass ripped off the beds

Kevin J Legg

Kevin J Legg
in Bass Fishing

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krux5506

krux5506

Posted
Posted

I'm big into bass fishing but not tournament fishing. Fished a tournament last year (first bass tournament) on my home port and left feeling pretty discouraged due to the obvious neglect put on most of the 5+lb smallies weighed in that were likely caught in deep water, "released" just to float around belly up. 20+ boats in this tournament all with limits caught most of which were great sized fish. A few guys were properly "fizzing" the fish but plenty of these nearly trophy sized smallies definitely died despite fizzing efforts. I left that tournament having a hard time picturing myself entering another one due to that along with many of those guys obviously not caring. 

 

My point is I have a hard time picturing C&R being more detrimental to healthy bass populations than the constant tournament pressure that many lakes get. 

BP Swing

BP Swing

Posted
Posted
On 6/11/2018 at 1:23 PM, Wish’n I was Fish’n said:

Catch and release is legal on bass year long. I too used to frown on it but so many guys are out there early fishing em kinda have to join em to stand a chance. I’ve read many articles on bedding bass and it’s split right down the middle between it hurts the fishing or they just go right back to the beds. What I can’t stand is number of bass tournaments starting to pop up before the season even begins .  Another problem is the amount of pressure these fish are seeing. Seems everybody and their brother has a bass boat these days 

 

Not in Jefferson or St Lawrence County it's not!! Its illegal to even target them! That includes Henderson and Eastern Lake O and St Lawrence River. Other parts of the state, yes but not there. I have a cottage on one of the Indian River Lakes in Jefferson County and its poacherville! Freekin rednecks catch and keep everything out of season including Bass through the ice. DEC needs to do way more enforcement in the North Country. Its shameful behavior of some of these guys. If I see it, Im writing boat numbers down and reporting. These as&h&**& wont keep me silent!

  • Like 1
muskiedreams

muskiedreams

Posted
Posted

I hear that a lot of local courts are lax when it comes to prosecuting when tickets are issued for fishing violations. So that might be something that needs to be addressed. ECOs might be reluctant to write tickets or enforce the regs in many jurisdictions if the local justice doesn't take the prosecution seriously. Maybe the fines need to be increased, revocation and denial of a fishing license and confiscation of fishing equipment should be considered as additional enforcement tools. I have heard about license denial and fishing gear confiscation being done in Canada.

  • Like 2
NPike

NPike

Posted
Posted

They are out there all during the open water season on Conesus. Some target esox and walleye prior to season as well. The year round catch and release can only be changed by legislation and enforcement. Start w the DEC.

Lucky13

Lucky13

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, NPike said:

They are out there all during the open water season on Conesus. Some target esox and walleye prior to season as well. The year round catch and release can only be changed by legislation and enforcement. Start w the DEC.

The ONLY fish that are legal to target in the off season, catch and release or not, are black bass in those counties where the C+R season has been established.  You see someone using big baits or walleye rigs, get the boat numbers and report them, that will have more effect than just whining on the internet, although I know that in Region 8, the ECO's watch all these social media " hero shout" sites, too.

 

Social Media Post Leads to Tickets - Monroe County
On the morning of May 4, ECOs Spencer Noyes and Evan McFee patrolled a section of the Genesee River in Rochester after receiving a tip from a social media post that claimed people had been keeping smallmouth bass in recent days, well before the opening of the season. Images from the post showed individuals posing with numerous bass lined up on the shoreline. The ECOs positioned themselves to watch fishing activity in the river and noticed one individual with a white five-gallon bucket with a large fish tail sticking out. The fisherman made his way back to the parking area with the bucket. ECOs Noyes and McFee approached the man and discovered he had caught and kept both a large bass and a northern pike, both out of season. The fisherman claimed he didn't know the rules and that he had never "caught one so big," with the bass weighing in at just over six pounds and measuring 22 inches in length. The subject said he was going to take his chances breaking the law, as he planned to get the trophy bass mounted. The individual turned out to be one of the fisherman in the internet photos. He was issued two tickets for taking fish out of season, returnable to the City of Rochester Court.

ECOs McFee and Noyes with illegally caught northern pike and bass

 

dpmsrm03

dpmsrm03

Posted
Posted

There is a DEC turn in poacher hotline. I do not know if they truly follow up, but I do know someone who received a personal reply from a DEC officer when they posted to that hotline boat hull numbers of people witnessed targeting bass, in Jefferson county water.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Lake Ontario United mobile app

  • Like 1
Chas0218

Chas0218

Posted
Posted
There is a DEC turn in poacher hotline. I do not know if they truly follow up, but I do know someone who received a personal reply from a DEC officer when they posted to that hotline boat hull numbers of people witnessed targeting bass, in Jefferson county water.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Lake Ontario United mobile app


You have the number?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

saygrace

saygrace

Posted
Posted

We have to be the best stewards we can be and act accordingly. Report violations and hope the law catches up to them! I could have "limited out" just fishing off my dock this past weekend in Henderson but instead chose to let the bass do their thing, get caught up on my chores around camp, and save the chase for them later on after they have done their thing. I see no sport in yanking them off the beds.

  • Like 1
spinfly

spinfly

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, Chas0218 said:

You have the number?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 

The number is 1-800-847-7332 (1-800-TIPP-DEC). I keep it programmed in my cell, have called it in the past.

kstitan8

kstitan8

Posted
Posted

Hmmm, are bass populations really down, or do guys just not know how to adopt to how the fishery changes??[emoji848][emoji848][emoji848]

Why would these Lake O smallies be fooled by your suspect, unnatural looking presentations when they have an all you can eat goby buffet that's open 24/7?

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

kstitan8

kstitan8

Posted
Posted

Hmmm, are bass populations really down, or do guys just not know how to adopt to how the fishery changes??[emoji848][emoji848][emoji848]

Why would these Lake O smallies be fooled by your suspect, unnatural looking presentations when they have an all you can eat goby buffet that's open 24/7?

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

  • Like 1
Dylan585

Dylan585

Posted
Posted
Hmmm, are bass populations really down, or do guys just not know how to adopt to how the fishery changes??[emoji848][emoji848][emoji848]

Why would these Lake O smallies be fooled by your suspect, unnatural looking presentations when they have an all you can eat goby buffet that's open 24/7?

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Lake Ontario United mobile app


So you're saying pre season bass fishing isn't an issue?

Sent from my Z983 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Xxx

Xxx

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, muskiedreams said:

For some who call themselves anglers or fishermen, spawning season IS bass season.

 

:lol:  :lol:  :rock:

BP Swing

BP Swing

Posted
Posted

Shouldnt the DEC approve any tournaments after monitoring current conditions to see if the bass are still on the beds? The thought of putting these spawning mamas in a livewell and bringing them 50 miles upstream to weigh and then release is just sickening to me. Keep that up and populations will be down. I think there should be a 2 week buffer before any tournaments and the start of the season just in case you get a year like this year where its 2 weeks behind schedule.

  • Like 3
  • 1 year later...
bulletbob

bulletbob

Posted
Posted

 I would never consider entering ANY tournament, for any fish.. ever.   However, and awful lot of guys love them, and fish everyone they can..

 PILES of dead bass, BIg dead bass, floating  or lying motionless on bottom, near the weigh in/release area.. Happens at every bass tournament, yet each year, they are bigger and bigger with more guys  entering

 I feel the same way about Trout/walleye/Catfish/Perch tourneys, not to mention Tuna/Striper/Fluke/ Marlin /Swords in salt water..

 As the late great fishing author Frank woolner once wrote..

 "Fishing should not be a  competitive sport-It should be a contemplative sport"..

  I concur 100% .... bob

  • Like 1
BP Swing

BP Swing

Posted
Posted

OMG those tournament Pros are pounding that river almost every week but when on the beds? Thats sickening. Give it a break!

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